Highest detail cartridges

@viridian Thank you.  I think I have found a cartridge that is meet, or at least is very close, to my wants.  Getting close to completing breakin on a Clavis Da Capo that Soundsmith "rebuilt" with a Boron Cantilever and a Soundsmith line contact stylus.  The warts of typical of a Clavis DC are missing but the transparency, details, soundstage and imaging are there.  Instruments are clean without induced bloom or edgeyness.   No zingy strings, no blooming cello or harp.

@lewm

I know you like your Grado XTZ, but given its age, it is probably not advisable to take its performance as a paradigm for all other MI or IM types. (I think those Grados are more properly thought of as IM [Induced Magnet], like my Acutex LPM320 and M320.) My own Grado TLZ ain’t what it used to be. You also mentioned ZYX cartridges as being detailed; I would agree.

My Grado was NOS, never used before, and has maybe 20hrs on it now, but it’s the same age as the AT-ML180 OCC and almost the same age as my all favorite vintage cartridges. Most of them are from the mid or late 80s. I do not use any new cartridges anymore, because none of them impressed me much and i will rather continue my search of the reasonably priced vintage rarities than will buy any overpriced new MC, MI, MM of today.

Grace ASAKURA ONE waiting my audition, that was top of the line MC cartridge, signature model of the founder of Grace (Asakura-San) from the 80s with Boron cantilever.

Never tried this ugly looking Acutex cartridges with extremely high compliance, but i doubt it can beat Audio-Technica AT-ML180 OCC with so many unique features in its design, the AT-ML180 goes for $1.5k easily on ebay nowadays, it’s more expensive than ART9. I remember Raul sweared on those Astatic MF100 and MF200 which are in fact mediocre cartridges compared to Glanz MFG-61. "Cartridge of the month flavour" has faded away.

 I sometimes envy your level of absolute certainty about your cartridges and what you are hearing. I on the other hand am always a skeptic. My point about the grado was precisely its age since manufacture, not its hours of use.  My TLZ, which used to be my favorite cartridge 30 years ago, deteriorated while in storage in its black cylinder. As to the excellence of the Acutex cartridge, get yourself an Acutex LPM320STR3, or M320, and then we’ll talk. My remarks do not pertain to any other Acutex models. 

My memory is not that good, i'm sure it will be impossible for me to remember in 2048 how good or bad was one of my cartridges in 2018. 

But what i know for sure is that some of the best cartridges does not get old and still circulated between collectors and audiophiles. People who're looking for fidelity buying 30-40 yeard old cartridges because of the sound quality. FR-7fz does not get old, because it has sealed suspension which never fails. 

Maybe i will find the Acutex, one of them is on ebay now, but i don't like the design of this cartridge, reminds me cheap Ortofon OM series.